Breaking Nightmare's Grip
by NikaylaSarae
Summary: Struggling to come to grips with how his heist with Nightmare ended, Kaito ends up finding comfort from an unexpected source. (Takes place after the Dark Knight episode.)


His hand was cold. Had been cold since Jack Connery had slipped from his grip, taking KID's white glove with him as he plummeted to the floor below.

_Let them go! Let the jewels go and grab my arm with both hands!_

_I can't! This is Kenta's-Kenta's surgery. _

Kaito flinched, trying and failing to get Connery's face out of his mind as he slid to the ground outside his bedroom door, pressing his back against the wall as he buried his head into his knees, the mask he'd been desperately trying to hold onto cracking as the weight of it all became too much to bear. Breath hitching, Kaito made no attempt to stop the hot wet trails that streaked down his cheeks.

"_Why?" _He whispered into the darkness, his voice cracking.

Why.

Why hadn't Nightmare let go of those black opals and grabbed his arm? If he had he wouldn't-wouldn't be-

Kaito grimaced, trying and failing to no longer see Connery's body falling away from his outstretched hand.

Yet, he couldn't stop replaying the moment. His mind desperately churning through various options, trying to find a way where it could have ended differently. Where KID could have saved Nightmare. Saved Kenta from having to now live without his father in his life.

Kaito drew in another shuddering breath, his right hand spasming from the cold, from the phantom feeling of Connery's fingers slipping out of his.

There should have been something KID could have done differently.

But no matter what he'd planned, how many possibilities he'd prepared for. He hadn't expected Nightmare to end up...dead.

He shuddered, curling up tighter into a ball.

With how many times he'd had run ins with his favorite detectives on their cases where people ended up dead, he should be-well not reacting like this. He'd seen dead bodies before. Even talked to the victims before they-died.

He sh-shouldn't be-

Kaito swallowed, struggling to get air into his burning lungs as his hand only seemed to grow colder.

He hadn't watched the life vanish from those people though. Hadn't seen their last breaths. Hadn't tried to sa-save-

The baka.

_He could have lived. _

If Connery had only let go of those stupid gems. If only he had thought more about saving his own life rather than-

_Warmth._

Kaito jerked, head shooting up as someone's hand took his own in a firm yet comforting grip.

He blinked, breath catching in his throat at the shadowy silhouette crouched down in front of him.

A silhouette he recognized despite his blurry vision.

A silhouette that shouldn't be here, in his house.

"Ha_-Hakuba?!_" He asked, internally wincing as his voice again cracked. Kaito had no reason to be upset right now. Kaito shouldn't be-be-mourning anyone's death yet because Kaito has no idea what has happened and now Hakuba was here which meant there had to be some clue that lead Hakuba to him and now the Detective was-

"Shh." Hakuba squeezed Kaito's hand between both of his own. "Breathe, Kuroba-kun. I believe you may be going into shock."

Shock. Him? Go into shock? Ha. "Y-you sho-shouldn't-be-be-"

"Here?"

Kaito jerked his head in a nod, using his free hand to wipe his cheeks as he caught a glimpse of a smile in the faint light coming from the window.  
The Detective exhaled, shrugging a shoulder. "I'm only here as a…" His fingers twitched against Kaito's. "As a concerned….friend. Nothing more, Kuroba-kun. So put that particular...worry away from you."

That was like telling a bird not to fly. A fish not to swim. A detective to not solve a crime scene.

And as a _friend_? Kaito scoffed, fighting to draw the torn pieces of his mask back on. They were hardly friends. "W-worry?" He asked, conscious of how he should be freeing his hand from Hakuba's grip. Only...it was warm. Warmer than the frozen empty void that had been present there since Connery's hand had left his.

_Don't THINK about THAT!_

"Ov-Over-?" He drew in a deeper breath, rapidly blinking as he fought to keep eye contact with the Detective. "Why should I be-be worried? Be-because you...bro-broke into my house?"

He was certain everything had been locked. After all, Kaito had entered from the skylight on the roof after discarding his KID outfit. He doubted the Detective would have taken that route.

Hakuba shifted, giving a slight bow with his head. "My apologies for the intrusion." He said, simply. Formal as always. "As I said before…I was concerned."

Concerned enough to act more like a thief than a detective apparently.

Kaito brushed at his burning eyes, taking a more steady breath. Despite the reason...he was grateful to have someone else here. "Why?"

Hakuba exhaled. "May I sit?" He asked, not waiting for Kaito's response before he settled down next to him, hand never leaving his as he leaned against the wall.

"I didn't say yes." Kaito muttered as the detective made himself comfortable.

"I came...because seeing death is never an easy thing." Hakuba said just as softly. "Especially when the life of another is extinguished right in front of you."

"Me?"

"The general usage of you, Kuroba-kun. I am not here to insinuate any potential connections to a certain thief and his activities tonight.."

Kaito rolled his eyes, hand trembling in Hakuba's. _He didn't WANT to think about it. _Think about how he'd failed. "I think you just did, Hakubaka."

"Apologies. Regardless." He adjusted his grip on Kaito's. "Tonight the others involved have found sources of comfort. I couldn't help but feel...that since this-death can't really be talked about due to certain implications. A certain individual would have no one to go to."

That was true. With his mother who knew where, Aoko in the dark about his identity as KID and Jii still on vacation in France….he had no one.

"And in this case...while I am probably not the best source to keep you company due to our...antagonistic history in school and my position as...a detective going after KID...I felt, regardless, that my presence may be of some help to you, even if it is a negative reaction. I felt it would be unwise for yo-ah...well...unwise to be left alone when...when...ah...KID isn't often exposed to the-darker side of breaking the law, especially when it's obvious KID tried to prevent-

Kaito tilted his head, studying Hakuba as the detective blabbered on. Nerves? Possibly. This was-well semi out of character for tantei-san. Phone calls before heists were one thing, but having him physically come here to...help?

The detective was right in one aspect though.

Kaito really didn't want to be alone right now.

He exhaled. Dropping his head back to his knees. If this was a truce. He wasn't of a mind to break it. Even if this was blurring the line between his ability to deny being KID a bit too much for his liking.

"Baro, stop talking. It's fine." He said interrupting Hakuba as he squeezed his hand tightly. As tight as when he'd been trying to-to save Connery's life.

He needed something..some_one _to keep his hand from feeling the cool void that Nightmare's presence had left, to keep his thoughts distracted from what had occurred earlier tonight. Even if that someone was Hakubaka.

Kaito would figure out how to explain this...this break down later. Figure out just _how _the detective had entered his home. For now though… He took a breath, keeping his voice low as he felt Hakuba relax. "Thanks for coming."


End file.
